Ampeg SS-150

Features have been covered well in other reviews.

This amp has the complete spectrum of tone. I have played for over 30 years and have tried MANY other solid-state amps. I didn't like any of them. Fender supers and twins have been my favorites. However, this Ampeg came along by accident....a friend "gave" it to me! It is probably late '70's-early '80's.
I started taking it to the job because it was much lighter and wasn't as valuable as my black-faced Fenders.
It is very versatile and able to do the job on any music style, any volume level. It has full-toned body at low volume and can crank out the volume without breaking up when duty calls.
The distortion is better than most built-in distortion units. However, I prefer an Ibanez Tube Screamer and use it along with Ibanez chorus and digital delay. I also occasionally use a Korg g4 which is an awesome piece of equipment itself. It has great tone with this Ampeg amp.
I play a Fender Stratocaster, Gibson ES-335 and an Ibanez AS 273.
I gave the sound-quality rating a 9 because I feel that it is just a bit brittle sounding on the high end.

I have used it for 10 years without a backup.
The amp recently (last week) fizzled out. I was heart-broken. I have a job tomorrow night and was dreading using my Fender Twin without a backup.
I tore the Ampeg down today and tested the components and found an open resistor. It appears that spilled bourbon and Coke has a negative effect on a hot resistor!
I couldn't find a 180 ohm, 10 watter locally so I hooked up two 100 ohm Radio Shack resistors in tandem and she is back online!

No idea.

If it were lost or stolen I would find a replacement. I would look specifically for the Ampeg SS150 because it has a proven track-record and has been a faithful friend.
I have never been able to get the reverb to work right....it wants to feedback.
As mentioned earlier, I have tried many amps over many years. I never liked ANY solid-state amp until this one.

1980s made. Versatility Galore. If you want more features, go get a rack. this shit is pretty bare bones standard, and rightfully so. This amp is used both live and for recording. it is probably one of the most powerful amps i've owned, and i've owned a lot. The distortion alone can go anywhere, which is why i would rate this a 10. Anyone looking into these is buying it for that reason. It's one of the best loud distorted amps ever made and you can do almost anything with it if you just fuck around with the knobs a little.

This amp is for people that want to play loud. Sludge, Hardcore, metal, grind, punk, whatever, you get the gist. The clean channel is good, but not necessarily what will win you over. It stays pretty clean throughout the volume range, but yes, it isn't as loud as the distortion channel. This isn't a roland jc 120, but it's not supposed to be, so who cares? The distortion is unmatched. Better than the vh 140s by far, makes any tube amp look like a fucking baby. The distortion stays clear all the way up. it's ridiculous how loud you can take this thing and still sound clear, yet completely distorted and blown and over the top. this amp has honestly changed my understanding of what distortion can do. for whatever reason, i've lately been playing these next to peavey 5150s in numerous bands, the difference is laughable from any perspective. I play a few different guitars with the amp, pending on the situation; Newer Gretsch power jet(solid body, les paul style, stock pick ups) and 1970s Gibson SG special(EMG 81 in the bridge) . Both sound great for Japanese/finnish influenced punk/hardcore type stuff (super dirty, way over the top). I also have a newer gibson melody maker and mid 80s japan made fender tele. Both with stock pickups and they sound great for more old school American punk and hardcore (real dirty and crunchy, i'd even suggest that you could play in all those replacements wannabee bands that keep coming out of gainesville with this kind of set up. but i'd suggest a roland jc 120 and good stomp box for that kind of punk).

I've had my share of experiences with different ampegs over the years in different bands and i've never had a single problem other than some dusted out pots. Even the bands i've been in that didn't use them for recording would bring them on the road b/c they're the most reliable things on the planet. You do not need a backup with these. They are the standard bearer when it comes to road reliablity.

No clue, never had to deal with them. couldn't care less anyway b/c it's not necessary. i've heard it's weak, but that's for others to decide.

i've been playing for about 12 years. i've owned or played considerably with everything from mesa tube amps to peavey tube amps, to marshall tube amps and none of those compare. the ampeg literally over powers all of these and sounds better to be boot, not to mention considerably more reliable. After all the trading and owning and playing, i've come to the conclusion that if it's not a solid state ampeg head or a roland jc 120(the best clean head money can buy, and of course solid state!), you're pretty much wasting a lot of your time and money on an amp(given how unreliable almost any tube amp is, and how colored and finicky their tones are). Obviously the Roland is a completely different story and not necessarily relevant to this review, but the point is that these two amps are the top tier in unmatched sound quality. And the same way that the JC 120 is the god of clean amps (and will only run you about 400-500 used these days), the ampeg solid state heads of the 1980s are the gods of Distorted amps(should run you less than 400 easy). If this ampeg were stolen, i would be pretty consumed with vengance. they're not super expensive, but hard to come by, and thus i'd rather just kill the asshole who stole it from me, so i could get it back, than try to find another. I do think these amps are for the real professionals, not for the showboats. I've seen so much fancy equipment over the years sound mediocre in all kinds of different elements (i've seen some sound good too, don't get me wrong). However, i've seen these ampegs played through so many different style bands, and it's amazing how they all sound good and each band can make this amp sound like only them. I've never seen a band play an ampeg head and not at least impress me with their sound quality.

The only thing I wish is that the clean channel was a little louder, but the dirty channel is sick!!! The feedabck and harmonics are very nice. I really don't think about using another distortion pedal. The reverb is sweet too. I play mostly rock, alternative style stuff. It really sounds good for stuff like Tool.

I use a Mex. strat, Mex. Tele, Ibanez Les Paul, and Gibson sg on this. They are all stock as far as pickups etc. and they ALL rock on it.

I bought it for $160 at a pawn shop because it was big and I needed an amp right then for a gig and I had to get the connectors cleaned up $60. Since then, I've been nothing but impressed.

I think this amp sounds just as good as any marshall solid state out there. The distortion is better than my fender stage 100, I just always come back to this one. It ROCKS!!! If it were stolen I would definately be pissed cuz these aren't the easiest amps to find.

This amp was made in the mid to late eighties; 2 channels (w/seperate tone and reverb controls), effects loop, 1/4" jack for channel switching. really can't think of any additional features I would like out of this amp except maybe some sort of adjustable noise gate. I've used this model on the road and during practice. It has too much power for most applications. This is truly Solid State at its best.

I have a Jackson Dinky (Duncan "Dimebag in the bridge and two stock singles), a Washburn WT-4 (a really rare piece w/some really fat 80's jackson pickups) and a Cort Katana (MM Motherbucker in the bridge, Duncan SH1N '59 in the neck) all of which sound really diffrent through this baby.

My styles include pregressive Jazz, Metal, Punk, and Speed Metal. This Amp has no problems with this. The ultra mid control changes the tone so drastically, you can't believe its the same amp. this amp really shines however, with the funk and hard rock stuff. If you need more gain and distortion than this amp puts out, I would be speechless.

I've gone through a couple of these because the ones I seek out are mid to late eighties. As far as reliability, want can you really expect from 15-20 year old amps? I have had a little issue with one of them cutting out on the drive channel and the reverb acting a little "funny" however, that's one out of three.

Tried to call them to get information and schematics a few years ago, took a while to get the info I was looking for.

I've been playing since 1987 (with a little "military" break) and I also own a 1989 Randall rg100ht head (backup) that is good but can't touch this one.

If it were stolen, there would be no where on this earth that would be safe for the guy who stole it. Yes, vengeance would be mine. there is no replacement for this amp IMO except another one just like it.

I'm really suprised Ampeg isn't putting this back out there.

I believe my amp is a late 80's model from the cosmetics. It's is a two channel solid state amp (push pull pot or footswitch to change channels) with reverb, & an FX loop. The reveb tank had been removed before I bought it, which was fine by me . . . I bought it simply for channel one. . . that's the distortion channel.

My guitarist is now using my amp & he plays an 80's Explorer. The style is good 'ole thrash metal. I had the pots cleaned after purchase & the amp is now pretty quiet. Of course it gets hissy if you really crank the input gain, but that is expected. We only use the distortion channel & that has only 5 knobs. bass-ultra mid-treble & the gain/volume. I highly recommend using an eq to better tailor the sound of channel one, but on its own it still is very thick & sick. This amp, especially mic'd up through a PA, can sound as good or better than Mesa's, Marshall's etc. But keep mind that we play metal. The distortion channel of this amp does not at all have the sensitivity of a nice tube amp when you turn down the volume knob on the guitar or pick lighter, etc. But for full on straight up brutal distortion it is fantastic. Its rated 150 watts @ 8 ohms, we were running two 412 cabs the other day & it was LOUD AS GOD! I also have listened to channel 2, the clean channel. The gain stage is not as high as channel one, but you can get some "blusey" type distortion or play it completely clean at pretty loud volumes. I even tried channel 2 with a soldano supercharger & it soundy pretty heavy, but channel one with a little EQ on it sounds just as good for metal.

This thing was through the wringer before i got it. Its old, its ugly & it smells funny (well it doesnt really smell). The reverb tank was ripped out & all the pots on channel 2 were REAL scratchy due to lack of use. However one week after purchase- and without a stop a the local amp service guys place- we put this beast on a plane & toured Europe for 2 weeks. It performed like a champ. After I returned I had the pots, etc cleaned out so now I can use channel one, but probably never will!

This amp is long out of warranty. I had it serviced at the local tube amp shop, but it did not need any repairs. I would bet that SLM has schematics & a manual laying around somewhere, they are pretty good with having the older stuff on file.

I have been playing guitar for a long time. 20+ years. I like this amp so much that I bought another one- which I believe to be a few years older since it has the blue colors on the faceplate. I own a lot of guitar gear & each piece has its use. The SS 150's use is a solid, roadworthy beast for metal. I have no problem throwing it in a box and checking it as luggage on the plane when we tour. You take your chance doing that with a tube amp - remember that cargo holds are not pressurized & they are "vaccuum" tubes. You are just asking for trouble there *laugh* I paid $150 for my first one and about $175 for my second one. You just can't beat the price. I have two so if one were stolen I'd have a backup. If both were stolen I'd look for another one, they do pop up on ebay every so often. I am really a fan of tube amps, but this by far is the best solid state amp I have heard.

I figure this amp was made in the mid to late eighties, great for blues, country and definitely metal, 2 seperate channels, effects loop, doesn't need more effects IMO, mine has a 12" Celestian Sidewinder which I believe was stock.

Excellent with humbuckers on the dirty channel, I use a 2002 Les Paul Standard w/ 50's neck, it nails the Santana, Allman Brothers and Zeppelin tones. The clean channel is as good as a Fender with a lush reverb, but not too overpowering like some Fenders. Killer distortion with amazing tight crunch and touch sensativity. I have tried several Strats and Teles through it, and mainly shines on the clean channel. Being one of 3 amps I own, it is always the first amp requested when I have friends over to jam. (My other 2 tube amps are Fender Blues Breaker and Epiphone Galaxie 10).

Owned for 7 years now and never had a problem

Never dealt with any support issues

Playing since 1982. I only own Fenders, Gibsons and Martins. If stolen I probably could not find another one, (mine is the only one I have ever seen) Very heavy for a combo amp, I've sold 15 tube amps and have always hung on to this and always will,

2 channel solid state amp head. Channel A is distortion and B is clean. Has built in reverb. Effects loop in the back along with lines out and footswitch jack. This amp has been able to do everything I ever wanted except for Chorus, delay, flanger, etc, for obvious reasons(it doesn't have it built in). I love the distortion! People comment to me all of the time about my tone. But as much as I love my distortion I love the clean sound better. I get a nice crystal clear sounds with total balance.

I play hard rock/pop rock maybe some occasional metal. This amp gives me great tone for all of these styles. I run this amp through a 4x12 cab of vintage Celestions. I have a Gibson V, Gibson Les Paul, Custom made Tele, Custom Strat, Dean Stylist Hollowbody, Gibson L6-S, and Epiphone Sheraton(with upgraded everything). Not one of those guitars sounds back through this amp. I've owed several other guitars and this amp can make the crappiest sound great. The clean sound is crystal clear at any volume. The distortion is consistant at all volumes as well. I've played Marshalls, Carvins, Fenders, Dr. Z, etc. I've used tubes, valvestates, and solid state. This amp by far is better than anything else I've ever run through.

I'm not sure how old this amp is, but I'm guessing the early 80's. The only problem I've had are some dirty jacks. I've been using this amp for 6 years with no problems.

Never dealt with them.

If this amp were lost or stolen I would cry for days. I would search as long as it took me to find another one. The only thing I wish it had are more built in effects, but I also realize that built in effects aren't common and shouldn't be expected. There is nothing I can think to make this amp better, maybe it could be a little lighter.

this is the follow-up to my other post

The hum problem is fixed! The reverb is awesome. I had taken the reverb pan out to clean my amp and put it in backwards (180 degrees turned) This caused it to pick up hum from my trasformer in the amp. I took the amp apart to try to see the problem. The reverb pan was far enough from the amp to not hum so it worked fine. Then I put it back together and it hummed again. My dad figured out to flip the reverb tray and it worked. Also the gain channel is pretty versatile. The hi's and low's don't do too much. The midrange does. I just alaways played with it on 0. But, I spun the knob, and that really affects your tone. That's probably its name is "ultra-mid".
KILLER AMP!!!!! used by Soilent Green and eyehategod

I think the other review pretty much covers everything in this area. I play metal(grind/death/sludge) and this amp is great for metal. The clean is great, too. I like the fact that the reverb is in its own division, so it can be footswitchable. I like the clean channel's vol. knob doubling a a push-pull brightness control. I also like the fact that each channel has its own controls. Pretty simple, LOUD, and great tone. The high gain channel is pretty much one sound, but is great. The clean channel is very versatile. Other people may not like the simplicity of the amp, but I do (complexity is for my 20+ pedals and rack stuff). Oh yeah, the reverb is automatically turned on with no footswitch, so you don't really need one. The other guy is right, I think, because since he had a footswitch hooked up to the head that probably turned it off. Fortunately for him, they didn't bother taking the footswitch out.

Pretty much what I said before. I play a Jackson Kelly with a Seymour Duncan invader in the bridge and a '59 in the neck. I bought mine used with the matching cab for $560. It was in pretty nice condition when I got it. The only thing that was wrong with the head was if I have the reverb switched on and turn up the control for the channel that I am using, it hums quite badly. I can't take off points from ampeg, because I don't know wether the problem was there from day one, or wether the previous owner accidentally did something, or wether it got the problem from shipping to my house. But, from what i can barely hear, the reverb sounds great, and hopefully, I can get it fixed soon. Extremely LOUD, totally crushing distortion. I prefer solid distortion to tube. If I were to get a tube amp it would be either a modified Hiwatt, or Mesa. I hate marshalls. The ampeg blows these all out the water. I gave it a 9, because I am not sure of the reverb problem.

Already stated the problem, and it sounds like a grounding problem, so I hopefully I will fix it soon. I have a Hiwatt head that I used to use and still kept after I bought this. Plus, I found a site with the schematics for the ss-150, so I will be able to fix it if it breaks. I guess the Hiwatt is my backup, but if I didn't have one or the schematics, I would totally gig without a backup. It is well-built, sturdy, and high quality.

Like the other guy said, this is no longer supported by ampeg. That is not cool, because ampeg used to make great amps for guitar. I do like tube amps for clean, and ampeg are the cream of the crop. I have the schematic, and the address for that site is http://www.schematicconnection.com/ Any competent tech should be able to fix a problem if you explain the problem thouroughly and give the schematic to them. Now they can't turn you away because they are afraid of servicing a non-tube amp.

I have been playing for 7 years. I own a Hiwatt head, hiwatt cabs, the mate ss-150 cab, a mesa cab(which i run the ampeg through and as soon as I get the money, I am going to get another one), Some rack gear, I think some Lexicon and BBE stuff, tons of DOD pedals(alot of weird ones like the gonkulator) an old style Digitec whammy, a MXR phaser, a dunlop talk-box, a Guyatone slow volume, a theremin, and some other stuff. I would definitely buy another one if it were stolen. I waited a year to get this thing, and was totally blessed by God to get it. Only people who actually want this thing badle or own one know about it, so it won't sell for ridiciously high prices. Mine's serial number is in the 1000's so it is sorta rare. I guess it was so hard to find one, because everyone who owns one likes it.

This is a two channel solid state late 70's early 80's era ampeg guitar head. Other features switchable channels, and reverb, w/ independent reverb for each channel, effects loop and a pair of speaker outs for 2 8 ohm or 1 4 ohm cab. On the front end there are two inputs high and low, and two channels with the following features: Channel A has gain, high, "ultra mid", low and level which doubles as the channel switch as a push pull when the footswitch isn't used. This channel is the higher gain channel of the two and can do alot of different styles as the eq is actually pretty good can go from a somewhat low gain, although not as low as i wish, to real high gain. Channel B is the clean channel, but also has a great gain sound when pushed over the 75% mark which i use to play beatles stuff, among other classic kinda stuff. Controls are gain, high, mid, low, and level which is also a push pull bright control, once again this channel can do all sorts of stuff. Its 150 watts, and comes pretty close to matching 100 watt tube stuff in volume.

I use lots of different stuff with this amp, I have two highly modified telecasters, duncan jb, jazz, rails, and other stuff which all tap, an sg style guild, a 60's danelectro convertable. I run various new and vintage effects through the effects loop no prob. It works good for all the styles i play jazz, rock, and even heavier stuff like punk, hardcore or whatever. When i bought it they told me the reverb didn't work, but that was because they had a 1 channel foot swich hooked up, that was why i got it so cheap, the reverb was a great surprise, especially when i got heavy into surf rock, in my opinion ampeg reverb is one of the best, probably because to my recolection they were the first internalized. It can be noisy when really driven hard, but for what it has been for me, a reliable solid state amp, its good. Ive gigged with it, used it for recording, and it always got the job done. As a solid state amp it would get more of 9.5 for sound, it comes from the time when manufacturers tried to make good sounding solid state amps rather than solid state amps that sound like tube amps, forget all that valveotube crap.

It's been good, has seen a few new resistors and minor parts in all its years, but never anything major, fudged out once at a gig in my younger years, otherwise at this point i don't worry about it. I giged with this without a backup for along time, and now as it is solid state it is the backup for whatever tube amp is favored. Tube amps can come and go but my ampeg stays.

For what? I wouldn't give support if i were them it old. it's pre St. louis music so i have no chance in hell at assistance i would imagine.

If it were stolen i would cry for along time and hunt the mf who stole it, it proudly sits ontop of a marshall cab, and has for quite some time, hopefully will until im feeding trees. This amp is my best friend, others get to take the spotlight, but this is old reliable. Ive loved most of the ampeg stuff ive had, reverb rocket, vl 503 (my second best freind) my svt bass stuff. This thing kills all the new solid state stuff out there as far as versitility and quality, the only solid state quality ive seen is the roland jazz chourus (from the heyday era of solid state amps) and some hughes and kettner stuff. if you see one give it a try, it even looks cool with its blue sparkle grill cloth.